Their Secret Child, My Sterile Husband Chapter 06
Chapter 6 “Consent to Abortion”
In the beginning, what Jayden felt for Ariella had been simple and fierce. The more time they spent together, the stronger his instinct to protect her became. He had wanted to shield her from every harsh wind, every cold stare, every memory of hunger and abandonment. Somewhere along the way, that instinct blurred into obsession.
Then Rebecca appeared between them like a chasm he couldn’t bridge.
His plans unraveled. The future he had imagined slipped out of reach, and what he couldn’t have only grew sharper in his heart. The more impossible Ariella became, the more desperately he wanted her.
On his wedding day, Ariella had cried in his arms and told him she was pregnant. She had whispered that she was terrified Rebecca might conceive too, that she would be discarded once and for all. Her fear had wrapped around him like chains.
That was the day he made the decision.
He went through with sterilization.
He convinced himself it was sacrifice, that it would give Ariella peace of mind. He told himself he could manage the rest somehow, that he could maintain the illusion of a stable marriage while protecting what he believed was love.
Days turned into months. Months into years.
He thought he could keep up the act forever.
But now everything had fallen into chaos, and so had his heart.
The golden forty-eight hours for a rescue had long passed at Devotion Point. Everyone understood what that meant, even if no one dared say it aloud. The wind still howled against the cliffside, indifferent and endless.
Jayden pulled Ariella into his arms carefully. “Don’t say things like that,” he muttered when she spoke of following him if he couldn’t move on. His voice was low, strained.
Seeing him respond at all, Ariella broke down into sobs.
They returned to the Richardson villa together. The moment Jayden stepped inside, a strange chill crept over him. Something was wrong.
The villa’s entire style had changed, and everything that once bore Rebecca’s presence had vanished without a trace.
“What happened?” he demanded. “Why does it look like this? Where are Rebecca’s things?”
Ariella lowered her gaze, though a flicker of satisfaction flashed too quickly to hide. “While you were gone, Lily said those things made her uncomfortable,” she said gently. “She’s just a child. I thought changing the décor might help her settle in.”
A tight wave of anger rose in Jayden’s chest.
But when he looked at Ariella’s wounded expression, the words dissolved before reaching his lips Hr swallowed the frustration like it was something he deserved.
That evening, Ariella prepared an elaborate dinner and called him downstairs.
He sat at the table, staring at the spread, and felt nothing.
“Jayden, you haven’t eaten in days,” she urged softly. “You’ll make yourself sick.”
He picked up a bite mechanically and chewed. “It’s too bland.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he froze.
He used to despise strong flavors. He would wrinkle his nose at anything too rich or heavily seasoned. Rebecca used to laugh softly and coax him to try just one more bite, her persistence gentle but steady.
Somewhere along the way, he had grown accustomed to that bold, layered taste.
Somewhere along the way, he had grown accustomed to Rebecca.
Back in the bedroom, his eyes lifted automatically to the wall above the headboard.
The wedding portrait was gone.
The entire room had been refurnished, stripped of any trace of the woman who once slept beside him. The unfamiliarity made his skin crawl.
Ariella entered quietly, wearing a thin strapless camisole, and looped her arms around his neck. “Jayden…”
He flinched violently, shoving her away so abruptly she nearly stumbled.
She stared at him in shock, eyes filling with confusion and hurt.
He avoided her gaze, irritation flashing sharply across his face. Without another word, he turned and walked into the study as if escaping something unseen.
Ariella remained where she stood, her expression slowly hardening as her eyes reddened.
Inside the study, Jayden yanked open a drawer.
He froze.
There, tucked neatly inside, was the only photograph he and Rebecca had ever taken together.
The pain struck him belatedly but violently, flooding through his chest in one brutal surge. He clutched at his heart, breath coming uneven and shallow.
And then-
a thought snapped into place.
If Rebecca had truly discovered everything, why would she first terminate the pregnancy… and then go to Devotion Point?
It didn’t align.
k didn’t make sense.
Jayden grabbed his phone and called his assistant immediately. “Dig,” he ordered. “I want everything from
the past few weeks. Every detail about Rebecca. Don’t miss a single thing.”
Minutes later, the assistant burst into the study, clutching a stack of documents.
“Mr. Richardson-we found something.”
Jayden snatched the papers and scanned them.
His eyes locked onto a single line.
Consent to abortion.
His blood ran cold.
“Mrs. Richardson underwent a termination that day,” the assistant said carefully. “We reviewed the hospital surveillance. Before she entered the operating room, she received a video message.”
He hesitated.
“It was from Miss Ariella.”
The assistant extended a tablet, screen paused mid-frame.
“This is the footage, Mr. Richardson. You need to see it.”
